


Neighbor Friendly

by TheLovelyStarlight



Series: Steven & Spinel Shipper Forever! [6]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Based on a song, F/M, Friendship, Human AU, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Scars, lion is a cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26723914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLovelyStarlight/pseuds/TheLovelyStarlight
Summary: Spinel has neighbors above her who are making strange noises, and sadly her cat won't let her ignore it.Based on a song named "Must Have Been The Wind" by Alec Benjamin
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Spinel/Steven Universe
Series: Steven & Spinel Shipper Forever! [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1552354
Comments: 8
Kudos: 22





	Neighbor Friendly

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I got from listening to this gem. Hope you like it

I heard a glass shatter on the wall in the apartment above mine. I thought I may have heard it wrong since I was wearing one of my earbuds in my ear, but the sound of another glass breaking made me froze. That definitely wasn't a fake movie or even me dreaming of nonsense, not when the next thing I heard was muffle screams and something hitting the floor.

It could have been nothing, it wasn't my business to bug my neighbors and honestly I didn't really care to get to know the people's bad side. Shaking my head, I just wanted to go back to working on my painting. I picked up my brush and dipped into the slight sky blue in my plates, but for some odd reason I just couldn't place it back on my canvas. The crashes from before came back to my thoughts, and pretty soon the sounds and questions were much louder in my thoughts then my music could muffle out. Then I turned to see my cat at my door, scratching at the wood with his pinkish red eyes staring at me. No, the neighbors were not my business. They could have just been a small accident and a couple are just having a little argument. They could have children and they were scowling them for dropping a vase or something. It wasn't something I should pry into lives. I did so as a kid and I wasn't going to it again.

Still, my kitten just kept meowing and scratching the door. His eyes just seem to turn into a glare at me, telling me to go and check. I just glared at the annoying cat but he kept the gaze, not blinking what so every. Pretty soon I just craved, groaning I waved the cat back and pouted. He just meowed and rushed out down the hall to do his own thing. I was thinking twice about just closing the door and going back to my work, but for some odd reason I couldn't let go of the door knob. My gut was just telling me to not close the door and go back inside. That noise, the silence, the slight will within my normally cold heart twitching in guilt and worry. Now I'm too worried to be going back to work. I just had to make sure nothing was wrong.

Closing the door behind me, making sure my magenta hair was tied up, I walked down the hall and took the elevator to the second floor. Once I got there, I took off my earbud and placed it into my pocket. It was easy to figure who was above me, seeing as the numbers were the same except for the second one. I was 476 so my neighbor was 486. Counting the number and walking further down the hall, I found the door to the apartment. I raised my hand but was half way there. There was going back now. I got this far, so might as well be the noisy neighbor once again.

I knocked upon their door, nothing happened yet... but it was that moment I realized there was more to this then I thought of before.

It started with the young man. He opened up the door and faced me with a bright smile, but I didn't notice that. I saw there was a horrible black bruise on his face, and his right hand was bandaged up as well. He said hello and I asked about the things I've been hearing, about the crash and the screaming that just happened.

The young man just seemed to smile wider, but suddenly I noticed that the smile never reached his chocolate colored eyes. He said, "I think you’re mistaken but everything is fine." When he said this, I noticed that his pink jacket was zipped completely up. That slightly shocked me, since it was June and about 101 outside. I frowned at him, but stayed calm as I asked again if he was sure if he didn't hear anything.

"Thanks for caring Madam, that's very nice of you," He said as cheery as he can which he sucked at so badly. It was obvious now that something was wrong. He just rubbed his neck and glanced back inside. "But I have to go back in."

I just frowned, taking a glance inside to see a female in a black bath robe tied around her. She was frowning, almost disapproving. She had much darker skin compared to their young man, but she looked a bit younger than him. She had long brunette hair just as curly as his own short one. Her dark wood brown eyes glaring slightly until she noticed that I was looking at her. She quickly changed her tone and smiled at me, then she came closer and kissed the boy's cheek. This struck me as odd, since he flinched slightly under her gentle touch but just smiled more. It was like a rock weighted inside my stomach. They just said he was clumsy and he dropped a vase, then just waved me off and closed the door. I was left without saying more and filled with much worry and doubt. There was nothing I could do, so I sighed and walked back into my room.

It has been a week since that day, and now it was just me and Lion sitting on our couch as we watched some random channel. There were smaller noises from the apartment above mine, but nothing that sounded bad to go back up there. Probably for the best, it was clear that the girl with him was a jealous bitch but there was nothing I could say about it. Still, just thinking about it brought me to bite my lip and twist my hair in nerves. There were times I would see them outside of the apartment, even out in the town, and something just made the pebble in my stomach grow into a boulder. The way he always wore a jacket, even in the summer, and just never seemed to leave his girlfriend's side. Always a new bruise or bandages, but he just states to others how clumsy and they believe him. I'm not a stalker but even my kitten knew something was wrong. No, I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about those two. I didn't want to intrude 'cause I knew that I didn't have all the facts to this, but just seeing that boy so off just couldn't get out of my mind. He smiled, he acted fine but I couldn't bear the thought of leaving him without at least trying. Screwing my fucking glass heart.

I let Lion out to go hunt for mice, grabbing my purse as I walked out and I took the elevator to the second floor once again. Walked down the hall, counting the numbers again before I reached the door.

When it opened, it was a young man again. He looked a bit different from the other times I have seen him. He wasn't smiling but he didn't seem completely sad today. He wasn't wearing the pink jacket, but he was wearing a long blue and grey shirt along with blue ripped jeans. I finally took a deeper look at him without the bruises, and I honestly felt a little blush hit my cheeks. It was like he got a completely new look with his brown hair now more trimmed and his face removed of all stubble. His brown eyes were more soft and even seemed to hold stars in them. He held himself a bit taller, like he was more confident to answer the door. In fact, when he saw me he seemed to smile a little bit. It was such a nice image to see on his angel-like face, but I shook it off. No time to hit on the neighbor with a girlfriend. You got this girl. I swallowed the lump in my throat and asked him again about things I have been hearing.

He lost the smile, but he did let out a small airy chuckle. The sound never reached his eyes, in fact they looked sadder. He said, "I think you may have been hearing things. Everything is fine." it was clear he was working on auto tune at this point. I saw him tug at his right sleeve though, seeing the small glimpse of the bandages again. They looked new too, but he acted like I didn't see them and kept shrugging my worry off.

"Thanks for caring Madam, that's very nice of you," He said as cheery as he could, which he sucked at so badly once again. It was obvious now that something was wrong, that there was something more to all of this, but he just shrugged. "But I have to go back in."

Against my judgement, I took a glance behind him to see his girlfriend again. She was smirking and obviously wearing loose clothing, no wear matching his more casual clothing. Every girl could tell what this bitch wanted, and sadly it was like he knew too. My friends always told me that guys enjoyed having sec whenever they can, but that myth went right out the window when I saw how depressed he was to even look at her in such a way. He looked so disgusted and tired. She didn't seem to care though, just walking up to him with a strap from her tank top slipped off her shoulder. I sadly saw her a-cup breast, something I never really wanted to see or know about having a mole either. Words wanted to spill out of my throat again, but she just cut me off and said that the noses were because he was clumsy. They said goodbye and she kissed him before he shut the door. I could clearly see the sadness in his eyes before he shut me out again. Left alone in the hallway.

This time, I knew what was happening for sure. I... I just didn't know how to handle it.

So three weeks later, I had finished my product for my customer before I made more smaller pieces. Lion and I were on a mission to help him, making small pictures of myself helping the boy. It may be a bit weird and creepy, but this to me was the only way to reach him without his girlfriend finding out. I took my brushes and painted myself first holding a first aid, making sure my pony tails were in the same style he saw me in and my pink contacts bright. I started to paint him as well, remembering every detail of him I saw him without the jacket. He was on the floor with a cut knee, with my helping him care for it. It wasn't my best art but it got the message across. Once finished, I gave it to Lion to give to him when he was alone in the apartment. Then I pick up another small paper to stretch my next art, this time of him crying and me there to hug him. Lion next to my feet as I left a note on the back. I let him know he can lean on me if he wanted help.

I did this for a week until I stopped, the screaming from above getting louder not longer after I stopped, but this time I didn't want to go up there and figure out if he was okay. It was just another day, and this time there was a knock at my door.

I opened the door, seeing that it was the young man with time now on the opposite of the door. He was smiling in a bit of fear at me, but also looked nervous too. He was wearing his jacket again, and his upper lip was bleeding and split. The sight almost made me cry, but I held it back as I asked what happened.

He flinched, his brown eyes slowly filled with small tears as he pulled out something from his right jacket pocket. It was a bit worn out, but it was yellow like the paper of my stretch I made. He opened it to the art of us holding each other as he cried. He said softly, "I think... you're right... everything is not fine."

I told him I must be mistaken, causing him to look up at me in shock, but I just smiled and gently took his hand and pulled him in.

At first I felt the need to know everything, to save him, to punch the living shit out of the bitch, to call the police and help this young man get away from the girl. I thought all of this in about five seconds, but instead of doing any of that, I just smiled softly. I knew what he needed right now, and it wasn't that. So I told him that I promise I'm not playing tricks on him and that he was always welcomed to come in. I didn't mind if he wanted to stay for a few hours to just talk. He was nervous and looked not to be sure, but he told me that I was willing to listen to anything. I knew right then all he needed was a friend to listen, and I promised him that I was going to be his best friend.

So we both sat down, he told us that his girlfriend was out with her classes. I made him some coffee and he got to finally meet my cat named Lion. The little shit just yawned and demanded a belly rub from. He didn't seem to mind.

He smiled softly, a smile that finally reached his beautiful star filled eyes. He turned to me and nodded, "thank you so much."

I smiled back, chuckling. "No prob bob."

"Heh," He rubbed his neck and gave me a hand. "Just call my Steven."

I shook it, grinning as I stuck a tongue out on him. "Then you can call me Spinel."

Seeing a smile reaching his eyes was something I was quickly going to love to see every time.


End file.
